Chapter 5 of Under False Pretences: A Novel is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Under False Pretences: A Novel is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MOTHER AND SON. Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother. It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death. "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock? She wished to consult him upon special business."
Chapter 5 of Under False Pretences: A Novel is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading “It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.”
get or ask advice from
From this reading “She wished to consult him upon special business."”
first in order of birth
From this reading “It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.”
being one more than ten
From this reading “"Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.”
according to the clock
From this reading “"Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?”
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “She wished to consult him upon special business."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.”
In this reading “Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.”
In this reading “She wished to consult him upon special business."”
In this reading “It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MOTHER AND SON.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading She wished to consult him upon special business."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
get or ask advice from
From this reading She wished to consult him upon special business."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
first in order of birth
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
being one more than ten
From this reading "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading MOTHER AND SON.
according to the clock
From this reading "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
a male human offspring
From this reading MOTHER AND SON.
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading She wished to consult him upon special business."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Early on the following morning Brian received a message from his mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She wished to consult him upon special business."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the first communication that she had vouchsafed to him since the day of her eldest son's death.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading She wished to consult him upon special business."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Would he come to her dressing-room at eleven o'clock?
Chapter 5 of Under False Pretences: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant holds 265 sentences, grouped into 53 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 5 holds 265 sentences of Under False Pretences: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Under False Pretences: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 265 sentences, grouped into 53 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Under False Pretences: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12438 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31375 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31375, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2488 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Under False Pretences: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Under False Pretences: A Novel to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Under False Pretences: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
